Leafs defender understands and accepts his role and where he sits in the pecking order for the playoffs
The early part of the regular season were tough for the Toronto Maple Leafs as they suffered injury after injury to their backend. Their depth was tested and one of the diamond in the roughs turned out to be Conor Timmins - a mid-season acquisition from the Arizona Coyotes.
The Maple Leafs acquired Timmins in exchange for forward Curtis Douglas and he ended playing relatively well for someone who wasn't on anybody's radar. He was consistently in the lineup throughout the month of December and recorded 8 assists in 11 games.
From the 8th of January to yesterday's game against the Detroit Red Wings, Timmins has sporadically suited up for the Maple Leafs but has put up 2 goals and 6 points in just 12 games, all the while averaging close to 16 minutes a night.
Not only did the Leafs get healthy after January but they also added Jake McCabe, Erik Gustafsson, and Luke Schenn ahead of the trade deadline to the mix of an overcrowded room of defensemen.
Sheldon Keefe has already shown that with the playoffs having been a foregone conclusion and not wanting one specific defenseman sitting out for too long, that he would be rotating his players in and out on a regular basis. He's also tested out the 11/7 formation.
Ahead of last night's game, Jake McCabe and Mark Giordano were given the night off for rest purposes and Timmins not only understands the situation at hand but also understands his role to the current rendition of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"It's no secret, the team we have, and we're all in. So I'm fine with my role and filling a role, and I think everyone has to buy into that if we want to have a chance to win. I'm okay with that."
Whenever called upon to return to the lineup and play important minutes, Timmins has risen to the occasion. It's also refreshing that he doesn't hold any ill will or animosity towards the mass depth of defensemen in front of him in the pecking order. He knows eventually that his time will come and he'll be ready whenever he's called upon.
